Guatemala Backroads Adventure

After clearing customs at the airport, you meet your local guide holding a personalized sign with your name. Receive a warm welcome and transfer to your hotel in Guatemala City, where you can settle in and rest after your flight, preparing for the adventure ahead.

After breakfast, begin your journey north to Las Verapaces, a region known for its lush rainforests, extensive cave systems, and plantations of coffee and cardamom. The drive takes around 3 hours through green valleys and forested hills.

Arrive at Ram Tzul Nature Reserve, a peaceful retreat designed to help visitors reconnect with nature and enjoy the fresh mountain air.

After breakfast, set out on a guided hike through Ram Tzul Nature Reserve. The name “Ram Tzul,” from the Q’eqchi’ language, means Spirit of the Mountain. Covering 200 hectares of private land, the reserve offers trails that showcase both the natural beauty of the region and the cultural traditions of the Maya.

Enjoy the chance to explore the forest and learn about the area’s plants, wildlife, and local stories along the way.

After breakfast, meet your guide and begin the journey toward Livingston. After about three hours on the road, arrive at the Candelaria Caves, one of the largest cave systems in Latin America and a sacred Maya site representing the underworld, Xibalbá. Explore the caves with your local guide, taking in the impressive rock formations and learning about their cultural and spiritual significance.

After your visit, travel about four more hours to reach Río Dulce, where you’ll settle in at your hotel for the night.

Start the day with a boat transfer to explore Livingston, a lively coastal town known for its Garifuna heritage and Caribbean charm. Walk its colorful streets, listen to local music, and sample regional dishes that blend Maya and Afro-Caribbean flavors.

Later, visit Siete Altares, a natural setting named for its seven turquoise pools and cascading waterfalls. Spend time surrounded by clear water and tropical scenery before returning by boat to Río Dulce.

After breakfast, travel with your guide to Zacapa, about two and a half hours away. Visit Hacienda Santiago in the Sierra de las Minas, a region known as the main source of Guatemala’s jade. Explore the estate on horseback or by foot, taking in the mountain scenery, lagoons, and trails where the precious green stone is found.

After lunch, travel for about four and a half hours to Antigua Guatemala, one of the country’s most beautiful colonial cities. Upon arrival, settle into your hotel and prepare for the next stage of your journey

After breakfast, begin your trip to the Guatemalan Highlands and the city of Quetzaltenango, known locally as “Xela.” On the way, visit the archaeological site of Iximché, a pre-Columbian Maya city that was abandoned in 1524. Walk among its pyramid temples, palaces, and two ball courts, and see murals, sculptures, and ceramics displayed in the small on-site museum.

The drive today takes several hours through scenic mountain landscapes before reaching Quetzaltenango.

You start the morning in Almolonga, a fertile valley known for its patchwork of colorful fields and famously large vegetables. From here, you make your way to the nearby town of Zunil to visit Fuentes Georginas, a series of natural hot springs surrounded by cloud forest. Heated by volcanic activity, the pools offer different temperatures and a peaceful setting in the mountains.

By late afternoon, travel about two and a half hours to Huehuetenango, where you’ll spend the night.

Please note: the hot springs are not recommended for travelers with epilepsy or those with high or low blood pressure.

Begin the day with a visit to Chiantla, a small town known for its church that houses the revered image of the Virgin of Candelaria. The site holds deep spiritual meaning for local communities and offers insight into regional faith and tradition.

From Chiantla, the drive takes you through rolling mountain scenery toward Laguna Magdalena. This beautiful lagoon, fed by underground rivers, is one of the most striking natural spots in the Cuchumatanes Mountains. Enjoy time to walk around the area, take photos, or simply appreciate the clear turquoise water and peaceful surroundings before returning to Huehuetenango.

Start the morning with breakfast and meet your guide for the day. Travel to the Atitlán Nature Reserve and walk through the butterfly geodome, follow forest trails, cross hanging bridges, and observe monkeys in their natural environment. Spend time on the reserve’s private lakeshore before heading to Panajachel, where you board a private boat to cross Lake Atitlán and reach San Juan La Laguna for your overnight stay with a local family.

Share breakfast with your host family before heading out to explore the town of San Juan La Laguna. Walk through its colorful streets and visit one of the women’s textile cooperatives, where you see hand-weaving and natural dyeing techniques that have been passed down through generations. You may also step into the home studios of local painters to learn about their art, join a short painting class, or unwind in a traditional Mayan sauna.

From here, you travel across the lake to the village of Santiago, where the Tz’utuhil Maya continue to live much as they have for centuries. Along the main street, locals dressed in bright, handwoven clothing move among art galleries filled with vivid paintings depicting market scenes and daily life in the highlands. You also visit the shrine of Maximón, a revered local deity, and offer a small tribute as part of the tradition. The day draws to a close as you return to San Juan La Laguna.

The morning begins with a drive of about an hour into the highlands to reach Chichicastenango, home to Guatemala’s most famous market. Here, vendors from across the region gather to sell colorful textiles, handicrafts, fresh produce, and flowers. The atmosphere is vibrant, filled with the hum of conversation and the scent of incense and local food drifting through the air.

You have time to wander among the stalls and explore the town’s peaceful cemetery, where bright tombs reflect the Maya belief in the cycle of life and death.  As the market winds down in the early afternoon, you make your way to Antigua Guatemala, where you settle in for the evening.

You spend the morning exploring Antigua Guatemala with your guide, walking along its cobblestone streets and visiting its ornate cathedrals and grand colonial landmarks. The city rises beneath volcanic peaks, with the majestic Volcán de Agua towering in the distance, and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Once the capital of Central America, Antigua’s pastel-colored facades and restored churches tell the story of a place shaped by both history and resilience.

In the afternoon, your exploration continues by car through nearby villages. In San Juan del Obispo, taste locally made wine. In Ciudad Vieja, discover the remains of the first Spanish capital. Your final visit is to San Antonio Aguas Calientes, where local artisans are known for their beautifully woven textiles.

After breakfast, enjoy the remaining time at leisure, relaxing at your hotel or exploring the charming streets of Antigua before check-out. At the arranged time, your private driver meets you for the transfer to airport, marking the end of your adventure through Guatemala’s backroads.